“The classes are first-rate, a good mix of practical knowledge and tapping into your own ideas. You get a lot of one-on-one attention from professors who encourage you to find your own style.” - David Thai

Film Studies

Film Studies

The film studies minor at Union College expands one's understanding of this basic medium – now a crucial part of the liberal arts education.

The program strengthens knowledge of film histories and cultures, introduces the tools for critical analysis of film texts, and provides hands-on training in film production technologies.

Students can choose from more than 40 courses, on topics as varied as the history of Hollywood film, gender and identity in Brazilian film, the origins of cinema, Chinese film, digital art, cinematic montage and documentary filmmaking (taught by documentary filmmaker Jim de Sève).

"The classes are first-rate, a good mix of practical knowledge and tapping into your own ideas. You get a lot of one-on-one attention from professors who encourage you to find your own style." - David Thai

Students share their work at campus screenings organized throughout the academic year; attend international film series and festivals, many of them at Schenectady’s historic Proctor's Theatre; and meet filmmakers invited to Union to talk about their work, screen their latest projects and teach hands-on workshops. Visitors have included Penny Lane and Brian Frye, who presented a rough-cut of their documentary Our Nixon; Parvez Sharma, director of the international phenomenon A Jihad for Love; Cynthia Wade, director of the Academy Award-winning short documentary Freeheld; and John Cameron Mitchell, director of Shortbus and Rabbit Hole (starring Nicole Kidman).

A film studies minor prepares students for advanced study, creative film production, and professional employment. Film studies students can also use their critical knowledge and technical skills to complement and enhance their work in any number of academic disciplines or professional careers.

CONTACT:

A SAMPLING OF COURSES:

A SAMPLING OF COURSES:

Digital FilmmakingFLM 202

This intensive hands-on class guides students from concept to finished film. Students practice the essentials of filmmaking technique, including storytelling, camera work, lighting, sound and editing. Students must be up for a challenging schedule and will make a film each week as they explore the nuts and bolts of moviemaking.

Cinematic MontageFLM 303

Learn and practice cinematic montage in this fun, hands-on course. From Dziga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera to modern movie chase scenes, montage takes the basic building blocks of film and combines them to evoke the condensation of space, time, and information. The course will review the history of montage as a starting point to help you practice shooting, editing, sound and effects to create your own montages.

Documentary FilmmakingFLM 201

This class introduces students to the basics of documentary filmmaking. While covering enough technical know-how to successfully complete class projects, the class will keep its focus on documentary form and storytelling techniques. Students will practice storyboarding, writing synopses and treatments, and deconstructing well-respected documentaries to analyze how they were made. The primary course activity is the production of a short documentary (around 20 minutes) which can be done individually or in groups of two. Besides his or her own work, the student will be expected to participate in screening nights in which students will share each other’s work for peer evaluation and discussion. There is also the option of organizing screenings open to the entire student body.